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Re-Casting The Stand

It seems that there are a number of people on this board with dissenting opinions regarding the original made for television version of The Stand.

It would seem that while some people absolutely hated it and others think it is wonderful, most of us are somewhere in between and find that it had many good qualities, but overall left us wanting more.

As someone who just recently read The Stand: The Complete and Uncut Edition and then promptly plowed through the graphic novel and the miniseries, I can't help but feel let down with the miniseries.

The casting didn't do it for me and the poor production values coupled with the early-90s look and feel of the movie just don't hold up over time. The entire thing is harder to watch (visually and in regards to some of the individual performances) than an average television drama.

If nothing else, a rebooted miniseries would great. Personally, I stick to the claim that if they're not going to do a multi-movie type thing (ie: Lord or the Rings, Harry Potter, etc...) they'd be best getting someone like HBO to cast a full season (20+ episodes) with a dynamite crew and big-time production values.

Odds are nothing will happen with The Stand for years, especially since The Dark Tower appears to be King's focus for the time being and is undoubtedly his hottest commodity.

That thought not withstanding, I thought it'd be fun to compare notes with y'all regarding a re-casting of The Stand.

Obviously we've got to assume there are some budget restraints so putting Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, etc...etc...in all the major roles is a bit of a stretch.

As such here's my quick thoughts on who I'd cast. I left out some characters, but hit most of the major ones (I think, lemme know if I missed one and I'll gladly remedy my error).

Most of my decisions were based on the following criteria:

1) Acting ability - I'll take talented actors over big-name actors any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

2) Do they look the part - Molly Ringwald looked NOTHING like the Fran Goldsmith the book portrayed and I've tried to remedy that by picking actors who remind me of the characters they'll be playing.

3) Budget/Reality - Like I said, I can't imagine a ton of big-time stars would sign on for a project of this magnitude, so I tried to keep it pretty realistic in that regard.

With no further ado...here is my re-casting of The Stand, I can't wait to read all of yours.

Re: Re-Casting The Stand

Originally Posted by Seb "Misery knight" Shaw

Joseph Gordon Levvit not a big namer?

I think JG-L is definitely one of the Hollywood's brightest young stars--it's the major reason I cast him in such an important role, one that I think he would be FABULOUS in--but he isn't on the same top-tier in terms of pay or notoriety (yet) as a lot of other stars.

It is weird that he's been around forever and still seems like a fresh face. I think he's got a wonderful career ahead of him (and behind him too). Here's hoping that whenever some eccentric billionaire reads The Stand and decides the movie needs to be made immediately with their private funding, they'll look his way...

In regards to directing and producing and writing, that's a tough one.

I'd really want King to be involved in the screenplay again, to try and keep it as true to the original material as possible. I'd say that the cats behind the AMC adaptation of The Walking Dead seem to have done a great job showing the isolation and whatnot of a barren world. Perhaps they could get in on the mix.

Re: Re-Casting The Stand

Originally Posted by Jeremiah Graves

I think JG-L is definitely one of the Hollywood's brightest young stars--it's the major reason I cast him in such an important role, one that I think he would be FABULOUS in--but he isn't on the same top-tier in terms of pay or notoriety (yet) as a lot of other stars.

It is weird that he's been around forever and still seems like a fresh face. I think he's got a wonderful career ahead of him (and behind him too). Here's hoping that whenever some eccentric billionaire reads The Stand and decides the movie needs to be made immediately with their private funding, they'll look his way...

In regards to directing and producing and writing, that's a tough one.

I'd really want King to be involved in the screenplay again, to try and keep it as true to the original material as possible. I'd say that the cats behind the AMC adaptation of The Walking Dead seem to have done a great job showing the isolation and whatnot of a barren world. Perhaps they could get in on the mix.

Thanks for the reply!

I agree totaly with this

I have had som ehtough and came up with a possible director.. Frankie Boyle (28 Days and Weeks later, Slumdog Millionaire etc) He has a keen eye for detail, and for the simple fact that he closed of a section of london of his great 28 Days later film